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Website for English Lit essay samples?

Hiya,

So, I've pretty much finished all my coursework besides my dissertation which I'll be doing next semester. When I first started Uni, I was super curious to know how other undergrads wrote their essays... I think it'd be cool to post the essays I've written somewhere for other people to have a look at, and maybe have a submission system where other people could post theirs too? It wouldn't necessarily have to be amazing essays; they'd be useful if they had the grade and any comments alongside the essay too. That way you could see the difference between a 2:1 and a First for example. And (most likely) how widely they can vary from lecturer to lecturer or institution to institution!

A few problems with this of course!

- I obviously don't want people to plagiarise; but I feel like there's a lot of stuff online about most literature anyway, so if you're inclined to plagiarise you'd probably already do it. Plus, everything goes through Turnitin these days anyway, I think?
- Would this have any effect on my degree before I've graduated? (I can't see how it would, but maybe someone else knows something about this that I don't.)
- Maybe people wouldn't even be interested in looking at another undergrad's work - in which case, what's the point of the effort?

I didn't really have any close friends on my course until this year. I've never had lower than a First on an essay - I've had everything from a 70 to a 78. I didn't know how unusual this was until I was talking to other people about it and realised none of them had ever gotten higher than a 72.

So - opinions? Would this be a good idea, a bad idea, a pointless idea...
(edited 8 years ago)
So you're asking students to submit their lousy essays so that they can be compared with your own benchmark of brilliance? I'm out.
Original post by DrSocSciences
So you're asking students to submit their lousy essays so that they can be compared with your own benchmark of brilliance? I'm out.


Wow, that's not what I was getting at at all. I just figured some people might find samples like that useful, if they're struggling with the structure/style/exactly how many secondary sources etc etc that you need to get a certain mark. Ive read other comments on here asking for advice on how to get a first, or examples of essays that have received a first. I have some - so would they be useful, or not?

And btw, I don't think that 2:1 essays are lousy; do you?
Personally, yes, I think 2:1 essays are mediocre.

Your suggested scheme falls within the remit of the teaching staff.

As I said, I'm out.
Original post by DrSocSciences
Personally, yes, I think 2:1 essays are mediocre.

Your suggested scheme falls within the remit of the teaching staff.

As I said, I'm out.


If you think 2:1 essays are mediocre then you're not the type of person who'd be helped by others' writing sample anyway, are you?

And most people won't go to their tutors to ask for a bunch of sample essays. And even if they did, I'm gonna assume the teaching staff have better things to do with their time.

Thanks for your input though, as helpful as it was.

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